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Sakmongkol ak 47

ariff.sabri@gmail.com

Thursday, 9 October 2008

As usual Utusan Malaysia will carry its version on the latest political developments. With the prospects of Dato Najib becoming the PM next March, Utusan Malaysia carried a story on Tun Mahathir’s view on Najib’s coming to office.

It said, Tun views the promotion of Najib as a step that will be able to unite UMNO. Finally, Utusan Malaysia as the ‘people’s voice’ admits that UMNO is disunited. We hope Dato Najib will be able to do that.

Utusan Malaysia is entitled to print a version of their story. But the public must also be aware that perhaps Tun Mahathir did not put his idea in such an abridged manner.

When Muhyiddin engineered the meeting between Tun Mahathir, TRH and other UMNO stalwarts such as Sanusi Junid, Najib panicked. While he was busily talking and uttering verbal palliatives and hoping that Tun would return to UMNO, he did not anything beyond talking. Quietly, Muhyiddin acted on the idea by DOING something.

Najib was beaten in action by Muhyiddin. Therefore Najb rushed to see Tun Mahathir to do what Muhyyidin did. Unfortunately, if you do that after someone else who is viewed as your rival had done it, you are perceived as wanting to just even things up. You don’t want to left out. That makes your action so shallow.

During that encounter, Tun Mahathir was said to have put forward his ideas and his views on Najib quite forcefully. In other words, Najib got a tongue lashing from the Tun.

Knowing Tun’s consistency in his ideas and perception, perhaps the manner in which Utusan Malaysia crafted its version as to how Tun looks at Najib’s promotion may not be precise.

The more nearer the truth version could be something like this:-

Asked to comment on Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as the possible prime minister, Dr Mahathir said he was not impressed with Najib's performance as deputy prime minister now.

Dr Mahathir described Najib as an incompetent deputy prime minister because the latter did not have his own stand and was always following Abdullah's advice, hence Najib needed to change when taking over the helm later.

On the possible candidate for Najib's deputy, Dr Mahathir said it should be Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, adding that the other current contenders for the post of Umno deputy president were only "jokers".

Utusan Malaysia was silent on the possible choice for the incoming deputy president. We will have to wait for Muhyiddin’s announcement tomorrow, Friday. He has already shown he has the patience, resolve and presence of mind.